


Just leave him.

by IceLite1011



Series: Eleven Years Later [4]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Angst, Be prepared for some sad feels, Emperor Akashi Seijuurou, I'm Sorry, M/M, Plot Twists, Poor Furi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-09
Updated: 2015-12-09
Packaged: 2018-05-05 19:02:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5386904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IceLite1011/pseuds/IceLite1011
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When they were twenty, they finally revealed their relationship to Kōki's parents.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just leave him.

When they were twenty, they finally revealed their relationship to Kōki's parents. Although they, in particular Kōki, were nervous, in the end it all worked out well. That night they had stayed at his house, Sei wrapping his arms tightly around Kōki even as he slept. Kōki was definitely tired from the day's excitement, but he stayed awake a little longer to watch Sei as he slept. Normally he would be the one to fall asleep first after being taken, but tonight they had just cuddled, buried in each other's warmth under the covers.

Kōki glanced up at Sei's sleeping face, his features softly illuminated by the moonlight spilling onto the bed and making Sei even more...pretty. There was no other word to describe him. Yes, Sei was one of the strongest people Kōki knew and could be terrifying at times, but he was also the most beautiful. Although his favorite feature of Sei's face—his eyes—were closed, Kōki hungrily drank in all of the other parts. He ran his fingertip up from Sei's sharp jawline (there was the faintest trace of a hickey that Kōki had left there once, and that made him feel triumphant), up the smooth skin of his cheek and past the slope of his nose. Kōki's fingers curled in silky scarlet hair as he patted Sei's head lovingly. His boyfriend had become much more expressive about his emotions compared to before, but even now he always had an air of power about him. When he was sleeping his face was most serene—completely open and vulnerable, making him look so much younger, and Kōki loved it.

Suddenly Sei's face twitched, the calm expression slowly crumbling. His eyebrows furrowed, his mouth settled into a flat line. Kōki froze. What was happening? He slowly removed his hand from Sei's hair, unsure of what to do. Then Sei started to mutter something.

"Stop...stop it...Father..."

Immediately Kōki knew. It was one of Sei's nightmares. The redhead had admitted to him that once in a while he had nightmares about his past, but quickly assured Kōki that they were in very short bursts and that they were nothing to worry about. Although suspicious, Kōki decided to let the situation go, because he hated to discuss something that made Sei upset. But now...

"Sei...Sei..." he whispered. "Wake up..." he gently moved his hand and placed it on Sei's shoulder.

Unexpectedly Sei's eyes flew open, startling Kōki. "Sei? Are you okay? You were..." All at once Kōki's blood ran cold when he looked into his favorite pair of eyes.

One was a deep cardinal, the same color he had been gazing at for years. The other was a color he had shrunk back from, one he had hoped never to see again. It was a shimmering, icy gold.

"..." Kōki was speechless as Sei continued to stare at him, face empty. Memories from that day at the Winter Cup flowed into his head—standing at the bottom of the stairs, terrified and rooted into place by that one golden eye. Horrifiedly watching Kagami's face almost be split in half. Wondering who this stranger was and what had happened to Sei.

He snapped. "Sei!" he hissed. This was not going to happen again. "Sei!" He was not going to lose Sei. "Please, come back!" he pleaded, close to tears. Instantly Sei pulled back, seemingly struggling against something, and Kōki watched in fear. Sei's trembling hands went to his face, covering it completely, muttering incoherent words. After a few moments it stopped, his hands stilling and dropping back down by his sides. Sei slowly opened his eyes. Kōki almost burst into tears, relieved that they were back to their original color.

"Kōki...?" He seemed disoriented and tired. "Sei...thank god...you had me so worried!" Kōki breathed out a sigh of relief as he threw his arms around Sei. He felt arms encircle him back. "Do you feel fine? You...you were..."

"I know," Sei breathed, snuggling his head against Kōki's neck. "He...he tries to take over again. When I'm sleeping." "But you fought back," Kōki smiled softly, proud of his Sei. "And you won."

"Yes..." Sei murmured, and smiled back. But Kōki didn't notice how strained that smile was.

❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖

Seijūrō awoke the next day feeling sluggish and groggy. All night, he had been attacked by short bursts of his other self trying to break free. They each lasted two minutes at most, and each time he heard a whisper, "Let me out...let me take over...let me take care of everything..." Seijūrō thought he was going to lose his mind, but he tried to calm himself by watching Kōki sleep. It worked. For now.

He knew what was happening. The other one—with the piercing gold eye—always nagged at him during times of stress, especially in more dire situations. Seijūrō knew what the case was this time—it was his turn. His turn to reveal their relationship. With Kōki's parents it had gone so well, and Seijūrō still felt giddy and overjoyed at the fact. However, the voices in his head were a constant reminder that it wasn't over yet. There was still one major person left.

Seijūrō glanced at the digital clock on Kōki's desk—the glowing red numbers read 8:27. They hadn't planned anything for today; in three days they were meeting with Kuroko and Kagami for a small reunion. Seijūrō lowered his head back onto the pillow, giving up on trying to go back to sleep and contenting himself with snuggling against Kōki until he woke up.

"Hey, Sei...?"

Seijūrō looked up from his coffee—black, of course—to a fidgety Kōki, his fingers fluttering around his own milk-and-sugar-loaded latte as if he were unsure of where to place them. The two men were seated in a café near Kōki's house; although small it was cozy and more than enough for a relaxing afternoon.

"Hm?" Seijūrō murmured, sipping the hot liquid. He swished it around in his mouth a bit, savoring the bitter yet rich flavor.

"We need to tell your father."

The coffee almost made a reappearance on the tabletop as Seijūrō swallowed in shock and promptly started coughing. "Sei?!" Kōki immediately stood up, going towards his side of the table and patting his back. "Are you okay?" He asked worriedly as Seijūrō tried to take breaths to calm down. The redhead nodded, slightly embarrassed at the numerous curious glances sent towards their table.

As soon as Kōki settled back in his own chair, Seijūrō let out a low voice. "Why?" His boyfriend peered back at him, worry still present in his milk-chocolate eyes. "Because I know it's weighing you down. It's...him, isn't it?"

"That was just last night..." Seijūrō started, but Kōki cut him off. "No, Sei, I know it's been going on for way longer. Even last night, after your nightmare, it happened again, didn't it? I know you, Sei!" Seijūrō was startled at Kōki's raised voice. He couldn't react much other than stare at Kōki blankly. "Sorry," Kōki sighed, taking a gulp of his latte. "But...I'm serious, Sei. I know he's a huge stress to you. But...I...I hate seeing you suffer, so..." he looked up at Seijūrō from under his long eyelashes. "Please? For me, too?"

There was a long, heavy pause as Seijūrō thought. The weak part of him wanted to run away, to turn to the golden-eyed puppeteer and let himself be swallowed whole. "If you let me take care of everything, you'll be number 1 again. You won't be this flawed person you've become now." No, he thought forcefully. His core suddenly blazed with strength. He wasn't the same powerless boy from years ago. He was twenty years old, with the love of his life by his side. He could stand up to his father now. He was strong.

Seijūrō gazed into Kōki's nervous yet hopeful brown eyes as he smiled and entwined their fingers on the table.

"Of course, Kōki. For the both of us."

That night, they lay in Kōki's bed again, wrapped up in the scent of fabric softener and the sprig of flowers that Kōki had plucked on their way home and woven into Seijūrō's hair jokingly. "You look like a fairy," he'd laughed sweetly, the evening sun lighting up the flecks of lighter brown in his eyes.

Kōki was snuggled up against him as usual, but his warmth did little to slow Seijūrō's racing heart. The burst of confidence he'd felt in the little café was gone, replaced with fear and anxiety. Terrifying visions assaulted him as he drifted off to a restless sleep—Seijūrō sitting in the prison called his father's office, buried up to his chin in paperwork. Seijūrō sitting in a booth at a restaurant, watching happy families eat dinner as he stared down at his own untouched meal. And worst of all, Seijūrō sitting in his house, the silence and loneliness slowly suffocating him as he watched Kōki, happy, with a woman on his arm as they walked past the window.

Seijūrō shot up, his skin clammy and his entire body trembling like a leaf. He glanced at Kōki, fast asleep, and then at the clock, which read 1:11. He buried his head in his hands, his fingers scraping through the sweaty red strands as he tried to calm his breathing. He couldn't bear it anymore. The fear of his father, the fear for his future, and the fear of ultimately losing Kōki were eating him alive. Seijūrō let a single shaky sob slip last his lips, when suddenly his body stiffened as he felt cold arms wrap around his neck.

Of course, it was all in his head, but it still felt incredibly real every time. "Seijūrō...don't you feel tired by now? Why don't you let ME shoulder the burden?"

"Shut up," he hissed at the voice sickeningly similar to his.

"So foolishly determined," it sighed, and laughed. It was nothing like Kōki's angelic one, which was filled with life and light. This one just sounded hollow.

"Don't you think you've done enough? You deserve a break. The stress is eating you alive. You worked hard until now. So let me help, Seijūrō. I want to help."

He took a deep breath. Yes, what the other one was saying was partly true. He was tired. He was stressed. He was scared. But he wasn't about to give in.

"All that pain," it drawled on. "Ever since we were little, don't you think? Father never liked you much. At least you were a boy so you could carry on the Akashi name. But you were friends with Furihata. He held you back, you know. The time you spent with him could have been time spent studying, so Father would be impressed with you. But you wasted it on Furihata, didn't you? Even in middle school, when Daiki and the others started changing, you tried to keep them together. You hid all that panic and fear inside, so they wouldn't know. So Furihata wouldn't know. You see, more energy wasted on him. And then I was born. And wasn't it so much easier with me in control? You could focus solely on winning. You didn't have to worry about how Furihata, or anyone else, felt. And you led your team to winning Nationals three times in a row. Isn't that so much better than being friends with someone who's not even a fraction of your level in basketball? In anything, in fact? What does he have that you don't? Nothing. So what's the point in even being with him now? If you weren't with him, you wouldn't be in this current situation. If you weren't with him, you wouldn't have to worry about facing Father with the news."

Seijūrō felt it coming, and he did everything in his power to block out the next words. Pale, icy hands clasped his face, golden eyes tearing apart his soul.

"If you weren't with him, you'd be happy right now."

He covered his ears. He squeezed his eyes shut. He buried his head atop his knees, trying to get the unbearable ringing in his head to stop.

"Just leave him."

And everything went black.

❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖

Kōki awoke to a hand on his shoulder. Confused, and his mind still muddled from sleep, he blindly patted the fingers gripping his shoulder.

"Sei...? Is it morning already?" Kōki mumbled, rubbing his eyes. He squinted at the clock, confused when the numbers read 2:01. "What's wrong? Is it another nightmare or...?"

"Furihata."

Instantly it registered. The grip on his shoulder was much stronger than Sei's usual gentle touch. The fingers digging into his shirt were icy cold, nothing like Sei's warmth. The eyes staring blankly down at him were mismatched—one red, one gold.

Kōki was speechless as he slowly retracted his hand. The terrifying eyes kept his body locked in place, all at once cold to the core. When he spoke, the voice belonged to someone unknown.

"Furihata," the stranger repeated. "I understand that we were romantically involved. Or you and him, specifically. But now that I've taken control, I no longer intend to continue this relationship any longer. I suppose I could thank you for everything until now. Goodbye." And without another glance back, he climbed off of the bed, quickly slipped into street clothes over his t-shirt, and walked silently out of the room.

Kōki felt strangely empty as he followed the man with his eyes. He listened to the barely audible footsteps walking down the hall and padding down to the first floor. He heard the click of the door opening; the stranger must have been opening it very slowly since normally it creaked loudly on its hinges. At least he's considerate, Kōki thought dumbly. Then the final, hollow sound of the door closing seemed to reverberate in his ears. All at once Kōki realized exactly what had just happened.

Sei gone.

A stranger in his place.

A golden eye.

He bolted out of bed.

"SEI!" The midnight air hitting his dry throat felt like icy needles.

"Sei!" His heart pounded frantically and his legs screamed.

"Sei?" The hot tears flowed uncontrollably out of his puffy eyes.

"Akashi..." Kōki crumpled down on the side of the road, freezing, sobbing, and shaking. He had been running around for the past hour, calling Sei's name, not caring that he might've woken up a few of the neighbors. He had somehow ended up in another familiar neighborhood, and he was exhausted. Knowing that he would get nowhere by just screaming for Sei, he dragged himself down several streets to the one house that he could just let go and spill everything that had happened.

It took a few rings of the doorbell before he saw a light flick on and a puzzled face peek out from behind a curtain. As soon as the person recognized Kōki's face, the face quickly disappeared and the door flew open.

"Furihata-kun?" Kuroko gasped, alarmed. "What happened?"

**Author's Note:**

> Arrrrgh I'm SO SORRY this is late!!!!! I know this chappy is pretty short but I'm experiencing some writer's block at the moment and I just wanted to post what I have so far. I will definitely try to get things moving by the time 2016 rolls around, so stay tuned and stick with me til the end!!! ;)


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